Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Sunday, 26 May 2013

Incredible India - Day 9 - Slumdog Millionaires

We decided we really couldn't only experience the opulent and bright side of Mumbai and also needed to see some of the dark & dirty of it too. So we signed up for a Slum Tour!

We booked via Reality Tours and met our group and guide at Churchgate Station, about 2km from our hotel. We then caught a train across the city to Mahim. Where we got off and walked into the slum of Dharavi.

Wow. It was an incredible experience walking around that huge slum, which is where some of the movie Slumdog Millionaire was actually filmed.

Here is some of what is written about the slum:

From the Reality Tours Website: "Visitors will see on foot why Dharavi is the heart of small scale industry in Mumbai. Through our tour through 'India's largest slum' visitors experience a wide range of these activities: recycling, pottery-making, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making and many more. When passing through the residential spaces, you will undoubtedly feel the sense of community and spirit that exists the area. People from all over India live in Dharavi and a tour through its narrow alleys is quite an adventure- you will leave with an enlightened sense of the purpose and determination that exists in the area."

and
"On this tour, visitors will see why Dharavi is the heart of small scale industry in Mumbai. Many people know Dharavi as the 'largest slum in Asia', but there is much more to this historic area of Mumbai than poverty. Dharavi's industries have an annual turnover of approximately US$ 665 million. Through our tour visitors experience a wide range of these activities: recycling, pottery-making, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making and many more. Most of these things are created in innovative ways and in very small spaces!

When passing through the residential spaces, you will undoubtedly feel the sense of community and spirit that exists in the area. People from all over India live in Dharavi, and this diversity is apparent in the temples, mosques and churches that stand side by side. A tour through Dharavi's narrow alleys is quite an adventure, and you will leave with an enlightened sense of the purpose and determination that exists in the area.

Highlights:

Recycling area Old computers, parts and plastics come from all over the world to Dharavi to be recycled. See the recycling plants in which separation and melting of plastics takes place.

Rooftop visit There is nothing like the view from a Dharavi factory rooftop. The tin hutments that house so many human lives stretch on as far as you can see, and birds screech overhead in the blue sky. You will never forget this view!

Biscuit bakery Taste the tea biscuits that you can buy anywhere in Mumbai, hot and fresh at the source!

Popaddom making Watch the women of Dharavi make popaddoms, the essential appetizer of any Indian meal, by baking them on wooden baskets that are turned upside-down.

Visit to a resident’s house gain an understanding of how the incredible people of Dharavi live.

Community centre The Community Centre, supported by funds from the tour, provides education in English, computers and other soft skills to the teenagers and young adults of Dharavi. Other activities take place here such as a library and indoor games. Visitors experience what matters most to Reality Tours... the men, women and children that make this dynamic community one of the most vibrant places in Mumbai."

From Wikipedia: "Dharavi is a slum and administrative ward in Mumbai, India. It is sandwiched between Mahim in the west and Sion in the east, and spread over an area of 175 hectares (1.7 km2). In 1986, the population was estimated at 530,225, but modern Dharavi has a population of between 600,000 and over 1 million people. Dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world."

It was an incredibly interesting, enlightening and humbling experience to witness slum life and to see how productive and hard working the slum dwellers are. They really are very industrious and innovative and resourceful, which was great to see. We were not allowed to take photos (out of respect for them) but had a wonderful and very fulfilling afternoon interacting with the people and I think it was a great eye-opener for the boys to. Making them grateful for what they have.

For me the most incredible thing we saw was how they make goat skin into any kind of leather you can imagine, including very real looking snake and crocodile skins, which are then made into belts, wallets and handbags etc and sold as the real thing. It was just too clever and funny! I wonder just how many people are wearing goat when they think they have snake or crocodile. LOL!

This was the 'nice' toilet at Churchgate station, where we were advised to go, because 'The slum toilets are much worse'!? Holy crap!!!!!

Dharavi Slum

With that our holiday and experience in Mumbai was all but over. All that was left was to enjoy a last night and the journey back home.